Bruce Springsteen, the iconic Born in the USA singer, touched hearts during his first-ever Liverpool stage appearance at Anfield, in the UK. The 75-year-old rock legend captivated fans with an emotional display of connection with a young fan. He was greeted with thunderous cheers and a standing ovation, with the venue echoing with enthusiastic chants of “Bruce“.
Addressing the Anfield crowd, Springsteen said: “Good evening. It is great for us to be in Liverpool where, for us, it all began.” In a surprising twist for the first night of his sold-out Anfield shows, Springsteen revamped his setlist, and people were thrilled.
While he traditionally kicks off this tour with Land of Hope and Dreams – after which the tour is named – he unexpectedly opened the Liverpool performance with My Love Will Not Let You Down, followed by Lonesome Day, shifting Land of Hope and Dreams to the third spot.
An unforgettable moment unfolded as Springsteen performed The Promised Land. A young girl playing harmonica appeared on the big screen, leading to a moving duet that left the audience visibly emotional.
On X, someone described the Anfield performance as “pure joy,” with others labelling it as “remarkable” and “properly, properly brilliant”.
Someone penned: “Bruce Springsteen absolutely lit up Anfield last night,” describing it as an “unforgettable performance”.
The rock icon has enjoyed a stellar career, releasing 21 studio albums and racking up an impressive 20 Grammy Awards and sales of 140 million records worldwide.
Liverpool holds a special place in his heart – despite being from New Jersey, he credits the city’s most famous artists for inspiring his musical journey.
Springsteen was just a teenager when The Beatles took America by storm in 1964. After conquering the UK and Europe in 1962 and 1963, the band had already established themselves as global superstars, but their first trip to the United States elevated their fame even further.
Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon touched down at New York’s JFK Airport on February 7, where they were greeted by a crowd of 5,000 fans. Their legendary debut on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9 was watched by more than 73 million people across the United States.
McCartney insisted that it was crucial for The Beatles to make a strong first impression in America. He told manager Brian Epstein that they shouldn’t set foot in the country until they had a number one hit on the US charts.
Their song ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ became that hit. It was released in the UK on November 29, 1963, and then in the USA on Boxing Day of the same year, reaching number one on February 1, 1964 – just days before The Beatles landed in New York.
The Beatles’ iconic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1963 was a pivotal moment that captivated over 73 million viewers in the United States, solidifying their status as a transatlantic cultural sensation.
Bruce Springsteen, profoundly influenced by the Fab Four, recounted to Rolling Stone in 2020 how The Beatles spurred his musical journey.
He reminisced: “‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ came on the radio in 1964. That was going to change my life because I was going to successfully pick the guitar up and learn how to play.”
Reflecting on his early attempts at music, he said: “I saw Elvis on TV. When Elvis first hit I was nine or something, I was a little young and I tried to play the guitar but it didn’t work out. I put it away, but the keeper was 1964 and ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ on South Street, with my mother driving.”
Springsteen vividly described the moment of revelation: “I immediately demanded she let me out, I ran to the bowling alley, ran down a long neon-lit aisle, down the bowling alley, into the bowling alley, ran to the phone booth, got in the phone booth, immediately called my girl and said ‘have you heard this band called The Beatles?’ After that, it was nothing but rock and roll and guitars.”
During a chat with Simon Mayo for Greatest Hits Radio last year, Bruce expressed excitement about performing in Liverpool.
Recalling a previous conversation, Simon mentioned: “When I spoke to you in 2016, I had a listener’s question which was when are you going to play Liverpool? And you said, ‘well, I guess I should do.”
Bruce confessed that visiting Liverpool, the birthplace of The Beatles, has always been a dream for many Americans, including himself. It’s safe to say he was excited about seeing Merseyside for the first time!
